Motivation Monday: Exercise For Wellness

 

You know exercise is good for you, but do you know how good? From boosting mood and self image to improving sex life, find out how exercise can improve your well-being.

Want to feel better, be energetic and even add years to your life? Just exercise! Physical activity is an important aspect to achieving overall health and wellness—in both short-term and long-term.The health benefits of regular exercise and physical activity are hard to ignore. Everyone benefits from exercise, regardless of age, gender or physical ability.

Need more convincing to be active? Check out these exercise benefits for a happier, healthier you.

Benefits of Exercise

Weight Control/Management

• Because exercise helps use up oxygen, it causes the body to burn stored fat and helps you maintain a normal weight. For instance, if you walk 5km a day, 4 times a week, you will burn about 1500 calories – nearly a half kg a week. With no change in diet, if you were to keep walking the same distance over 6 months, you will lose 5kg or 10kg over 12 months.

Stronger Muscles

• Exercise helps build and keep muscles strong. But stronger muscles helps burn more calories while at rest. Muscle mass is metabolically active tissue so the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn when you are not exercising.
• Some researches suggest that for each kg of muscle you add to the body, you will burn an additional 35 to 50 calories per day.
• Men have more muscle mass than women so they burn calories faster and lose weight more easily. So therefore women need to work out daily to stay strong and in shape.

Stronger Bones

• Regular, moderate exercise maintain strong bones. This includes weight-bearing exercises like walking, running, jogging, and dancing. Research reveals that resistance exercises also boot bone mass and keep muscles strong.

Better Skin

• Exercise boosts blood circulation and increased blood circulation stimulates the increase of nutrients delivered to the skin helping to detoxify the body by removing toxins.
• With increased oxygen to the skin there is an increase in the natural production of collagen. Your skin colour will also improve after exercise because of the increase in blood flow.

Less Stress

• Regular exercise lessens the amount of stress hormones in the body, resulting in slower heart rates, relaxed blood vessels, and lower blood pressure. Increased relaxation from exercise also shows on your face with reduced muscle tension.

Improved Mood

• Regular exercise decreases the symptoms of moderate depression and enhances psychological fitness. Exercise can even produce changes in certain chemical levels in the body which can have a positive effect on the psychological state.
• Endorphins are brain hormones that are associated with a happy, positive feeling. Low levels of endorphins are associated with depression. Plasma levels of endorphins increase during exercise which may help to alleviate the symptoms of depression.
• Exercise also boosts the neurotransmitter serotonin in the brain. Neurotransmitters are chemicals that send specific messages from one brain cell to another. Though only a small percentage of serotonin is located in the brain, it plays a key role in keeping your mood calm.

Combats Health Conditions And Diseases 

• No matter what your current weight, being active boosts high-density lipoprotein (HDL) also known as "good" cholesterol and decreases unhealthy triglycerides. 
• Keeps your blood flowing smoothly, which decreases your risk of cardiovascular diseases.
• Regular exercise helps prevent or manage a wide range of health problems and concerns, including metabolic syndrome, stroke, type 2 diabetes, depression,various types of cancer, and arthritis.
• Regular exercise helps jump-start the immune system, thus reducing the number of colds, flu , and other viruses.

More Brainpower

• Exercise boosts the blood flow to the brain and helps it to receive oxygen and nutrients. The better shape you are in, the faster you ignite brain waves that are responsible for quick thinking.

 

Choosing Activities

Based on your present lifestyle and personality, choose activities that are reasonable and meaningful to you. Whether you enjoy outdoor activities, going to the gym, or another activity of choice, there are ways to include exercise in your routine. Start taking the stairs, walking instead of using the bus, or find an exercise buddy to make working out more fun. If an activity is irrelevant to your interests, it's unlikely that it will become a long-lasting part of your lifestyle. But change takes time. Adopt an active lifestyle change that you enjoy and you will be that much closer to being a happier and healthier person.

Just exercise! The positive benefits of regular exercise are endless.